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Financial services

A highly experienced team of genuine financial services specialists supporting a wide range of clients, from to start-ups to industry leaders. 

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Our expert lawyers are commercial, practical, collaborative and alive to the ever-evolving regulatory context in which financial services businesses operate.

Our team offers extensive industry insight, helping our clients to navigate the complexities – and capitalise on the opportunities – of the financial services landscape.

Working closely with industry associations and maintaining strong relationships with regulatory bodies such as the FCA, our team has extensive industry insight and takes a practical and commercial approach to regulatory compliance and change. Many of our lawyers have direct in-house or in-regulator experience, bringing valuable first-hand industry know-how and a practical understanding of client needs.

We work with all types of financial institutions, from the traditional to those that are less-so. Including fund and asset managers and administrators, fintechs, digital platforms, apps, banks, building societies, insurers, pension providers and investors.

Our expertise spans the breadth of the sector, addressing the unique needs of our diverse clientele. From innovative financial product development to fintech advancements, our lawyers are at the forefront, guiding clients through the complexities of regulatory frameworks with market-leading insight.

Our dedicated teams across Edinburgh, London, and Bristol offer expansive financial sector legal expertise and include regulatory, banking, corporate, commercial, employment, tax, and dispute specialists who can provide comprehensive support for advisory, transactional and contentious matters. 

  • Advisory: We offer a full range of non-contentious advice on financial services regulation, helping financial services businesses to achieve compliance and attain strategic advantage in their market operations.
  • Innovation and product: We assist with the creation and implementation of new and innovative financial products, and the realignment of business processes and procedures with new technologies.
  • Employment, people and governance: We advise financial services employers on employment law and regulatory issues, including SMCR, fitness and propriety, regulatory references, whistleblowing and misconduct.
  • Corporate and M&A: We advise clients on the full range of their corporate law needs, with a particular focus on M&A transactions and equity funding.
  • Funding and finance: We advise on all aspects of debt finance transactions across various asset classes and funding structures. We have experience of advising on asset-backed transactions involving various underlying asset classes, including regulated financial products such as mortgages and unsecured consumer loans.
  • Disputes, investigations and enforcement: We advise FS sector clients on the full range of contentious work, covering commercial litigation and arbitration; advising on complaints, FOS claims, collective redress schemes, and regulatory and criminal investigations and enforcement.
  • Outsourcing, data and technology: We work with financial services businesses to deliver their commercial and operational objectives, including on business-critical transformation and outsourcing projects, material supply contracts, technology and data innovation, data compliance and day-to-day commercial and technology work.

Sector expertise

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Financial services regulation

Our financial services regulatory specialists act for market-leading names, helping clients to manage regulatory risk and take advantage of opportunities in this rapidly evolving and highly regulated space.

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Fintech

Through innovative, nimble, expert legal guidance and industry insights, we help UK and international fintechs, financial institutions and others achieve their commercial goals.

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Pension providers and pension investors

We provide expert legal advice to pension providers and investors, guiding them through the complex legal and regulatory landscape of establishing and managing pension products, platforms and investment funds.

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Regulated funds

Our regulated funds specialist lawyers provide market leading advice and guidance helping clients to launch, manage, distribute and invest in FCA regulated funds.

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Private funds

Our private funds practice offers expert advice and guidance on the establishment of, and investment in, alternative investment funds across a number of asset classes, and associated regulatory matters.

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Consumer financial products and services

We offer expert and innovative advice to financial services clients who manufacture, distribute and market consumer financial products.

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Our team

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Examples of our work

SDR

Advised a number of retail fund manager clients on the FCA’s Sustainable Disclosure Requirements including navigating the FCA application process both for funds seeking to adopt a Sustainability Label as well as those seeking to operate on an unlabelled basis. This has included advising on one of the first applications resulting in the successful adoption of an SDR Sustainability Label.

Mainspring

Advised Mainspring, a fund administration house and investment platform, on its sale to Apex. The deal was a key strategic acquisition for Apex, giving it access to Mainspring’s specialist knowledge and experience in VC fund administration.

Shepherds Friendly

Advised on significant proposition developments including with the innovative insurtech company, Bluezone. Support involved drafting and advising on the distribution agreement and reinsurance treaty.

Pension pools

Advised one of the largest pension pools in the UK, managing around £64 billion in assets, on launching the first LGPS real estate ACS with multiple sub-funds.

Technology and business process outsourcing

Advised a wealth management business on a material 10-year business process and technology outsourcing contract.

Disputes investigations and enforcement

Advising a wealth management business on parallel FCA and FOS investigations and consequential redress arrangements, relating to the distribution of high-risk assets to retail SIPPs.

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What others say

“Burges Salmon has a very friendly, professional approach, offering wide-ranging guidance and advice to new clients. The team are always very responsive and aligned to what the client requires.”

Chambers UK 2024

“Burges Salmon are able to undertake detailed complex legal analysis and distil that into condensed plain English text. The team has a good mix of legal expertise and a broad range of experience, including in house compliance experience.”

Chambers UK 2024

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Insights

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